May I add :-
S50 to Kanniedood dam a couple of times (afternoon drives) and the bird hide .

Instead of using the H1-6 tar road coming and returning take the S50 all the way - highlights are fantastic pools in the lower reaches of Shingwedzi river (I have a Pel's fishing owl tick here)
-Nyawatsi bird hide , Grootvlei dam and Shibavantsengele view point all remote and close to the Lebombo's
- all the N'shawu waterholes (possibility for Roan antelope)

Generally the gravel roads around Shingwedzi are less rough and have an atmoshere second to none .

The biggest pride of lions I have seen was on the Mphongolo and there were also two males with a female on heat - they would charge if you drove to close .

This is one of my favourite roads! Definitely prefer it to the H1-6, much more "atmospheric" amongst other things. Grootvlei Dam can be amazing, especially if a group of ellies is bathing. I rarely drive the H1-6, far prefer the S50.

I would drive it over the tar road any day. However, apart from Grootvlei, I find it can be sparse gamewise and very dry and dusty. Until you hit the Shingwedzi river and then it comes alive. At the southern end you have the Nshawu marshes which can rival Letaba for elephant bull sightings.

Want to say Thank You or Well Done to a fellow 'mite? Why not nominate them for a Kudu?

We drove it this past trip in Feb and altho we didn't see anything much over the usual game I also really enjoy it.Very quiet traffic wise, think we only saw 1 or 2 other cars all the way until we got near Shingwedzi.Love the area around there and it was amazing to see the effects of the floods earlier this year very much in evidence. Also have had great sightings of ellies from the dam wall at Grootvlei! This year the water level was way down from the previous time we were there.

Elsa wrote:I don't recall seeing any Buffalo herds but there is no reason why there shouldn't be any!

Absolutely no reason! We drove through the aftermath of a very large herd of buffalo on this road about 4 years ago.... It was about 2 km of weaving through buffalo dung...and not missing most of it! Made for an interesting car wash when we got home.

Elmar wrote:How good are buffalo sightings on this road and at Grootvlei?

The last time I was on this road I saw an immense herd walking parallel to the road, about 10-15km from the southern end. They raised a visible cloud of dust, and there were some hyena sulking around the tail end of the herd!